


What's Meant To Be

by invisible_slytherin



Series: How Things Should Be [2]
Category: Rise (TV 2018)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, and simon accepting himself, just cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-20 04:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14887655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisible_slytherin/pseuds/invisible_slytherin
Summary: He was enjoying his time with his boyfriend like it should be.Or, the one where Simon is not afraid to be who he is and enjoy his time with his boyfriend anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After the angst that was 'What Has To Be Done', I had to write some fluff, continuing that story and make it happy just seemed like the best decision.
> 
> So, here it is. How Simon and Jeremy's relationship grew after they decided to stop hiding.

Jeremy knew that when Simon had said that he was ready to stop hiding he didn’t mean appear in school holding hands and full on PDA right the next day. That would be a shock for both of them since they had just broken up a few weeks before. They needed time to adapt to their new and better relationship before being out and proud.

 

They started small. Hanging out at Jeremy’s house since Simon was still doing everything in his power to spend as little time as possible near his father. It was different from when they were just talking after they broke up. Now they didn’t need to hide the smiles, they didn’t need to avoid eye contact, they didn’t need to pretend and keep what they were feeling hidden inside them. They could let it out and show each other just how happy they were to be there.

 

No one knew that they were back together for a week; they had decided that while they tried to make their relationship work again they would keep things between them because sometimes including more people could lead to some kind of disaster and that was the last thing they wanted.

 

The first time they went in public as a couple was to go have lunch with the troupe. After weeks of standing as far apart as they could when they hung out, it had come as a surprise to the rest of their friends to see them sitting next to each other at the table, talking between them in whispers and smiling at each other like they had never broken up. They only understood what was going on with the two of them once they saw Simon lift their intertwined hands, that had been hidden under the table until then, and kissing Jeremy’s hand softly, making the blond boy blush a little.

 

“You’re back together?” Sasha had asked.

 

Jeremy and Simon had just looked at each other and smiled, no words needed to answer that question after the interaction they were having since the beginning of lunch.

 

“Are you happy?” Had been Lilette’s question, directed at the two of them, trying to make sure that they weren’t falling into a dark place again.

 

“More than ever,” Simon had reassured her and, seeing his bright smile and shining eyes she couldn’t deny that he did look happier than he ever had.

 

The day after that, Simon had picked up Lilette and Jeremy and the three of them went to school together. It felt good to have gotten a good morning kiss, it felt good to be teased by Lilette who sat in the backseat so Jeremy could sit in the front, it felt good to hear Jeremy and Lilette sing along to the songs on the radio. For a moment, Simon couldn’t even remember why he had been so afraid of having this, everything was so perfect and filled his heart with happiness, how could he fear happiness?

 

Simon and Jeremy didn’t hold hands through the school hallways yet. It seemed a bit too early for that, but they didn’t try to hide that they knew each other and talked to each other. They walked each other to class and stayed close to each other on breaks, they sat next to each other at the lunch table and, at the end of the day, Jeremy met up with Simon at his locker.

 

Simon took his time to gather his books and tidy up his locker, enjoying the sight of an impatient Jeremy. The blond boy kept tapping his foot on the floor, eyes alternating between the clock and glaring at Simon, annoyed sighs leaving his lips every five seconds.

 

Simon chuckled.

 

“Everything okay, Jer?”

 

“What’s taking you so long?”

 

“Oh, just tidying up a bit, it was getting messy,” Simon shrugged.

 

Jeremy’s glare intensified, but there was a little light of amusement in his eyes that made Simon feel warm inside.

 

“You have time for that tomorrow,” Jeremy said, grabbing Simon’s arm and pulling him away from his locker, which he closed before leading a laughing Simon out of the school. 

 

Simon knew why Jeremy was in such a hurry; they had agreed to go to Jeremy’s house and study together for a bit. Although they had come to terms with everything and had decided to be public about their relationship, they still felt more comfortable inside closed doors and spending time together was something that they were always looking forward to. 

 

Outside the school, the two of them walked to Simon’s car between teasing words and amused smiles and it felt so good. To be able to walk next to Jeremy and not being hyper-aware of everything he was doing and of how close they were standing, to be able to not care; it just felt so good to be able to relax and be with Jeremy. 

 

Lilette and Robbie waved at them from where they were getting in his car and Simon rolled his eyes playfully when she made kissing faces and started winking exaggeratedly at them. He saw Jeremy stick his tongue out and felt a smile appear on his face at the sight of his boyfriend being adorable.

 

“Whipped,” he heard Robbie shout.

 

And, yeah, he totally was whipped and had no more problems with it.

 

***

 

One week after that, Simon was standing in front of his locker when Michael came to talk to him.

 

“Simon,” Michael had tapped his shoulder. “Can you come with me?”

 

“Sure?” Simon said a little confused as to where Michael was asking him to go.

 

“It’s Jeremy,” Michael cleared, having seen Simon’s confused face.

 

“Something happened to him?” Simon asked, confusing melting into worry.

 

“It’s nothing too serious,” Michael said quickly. “He just had a pretty bad grade and he’s kinda bummed about it.”

 

“Oh, where is he?”

 

“Outside.”

 

Simon nodded. 

 

“Thanks for telling me, Michael.”

 

“No, Simon, thank you for being what he deserves.”

 

“I’m not sure about that. Jeremy deserves better than what I put him through.”

 

“He does deserve better than what you first had, but you’re making up for it. I can see how happy you make each other and you’re going to comfort him, in the middle of the school day with everyone around. That is what Jeremy deserves and that is something you should be proud of.”

 

Simon hadn’t really thought about that. The moment Michael had told him that Jeremy was upset and needed him the only thought going through his mind was to get to him as quick as possible, the people watching hadn’t even appeared on his mind. Because they weren’t important, Simon didn’t care about them anymore. Jeremy was important, everything else was just there.

 

“I guess you’re right,” he mumbled, still taken aback by the realization.

  
  


“I am,” Michael laughed. “Now go make your boyfriend happy again.”

 

Simon chuckled and walked as quickly as he could through the wave of students in the hallway, he didn’t want Jeremy to be alone and drowning in his own thoughts and worries anymore.

 

He saw Jeremy sitting in the bleachers and run up to him. His boyfriend was looking at the horizon with a frown on his face and a paper clutched in his hands. Simon felt his heart clench and he sped up even more.

 

“Jeremy,” he called when he was just a few steps away making his boyfriend look at him.

 

“Simon?”

 

“Michael told me that you were here,” Simon said, sitting next to him.

 

“Of course, he did,” Jeremy shook his head with a small smile, he hadn’t been expecting anything else from his friend.

 

“What’s wrong?” Simon asked, eyes on him and hand moving to rest on the boy’s knee.

 

“It’s nothing serious, you didn’t need to come here. I’m fine.”

 

“I don’t care how serious you think it is, Jer, you’re clearly upset and that’s why I’m here. I don’t care about it being serious or not, I care about you feeling better.”

 

Jeremy took in a shaky intake of breath and turned his face to stare at Simon, a small but happy smile on his lips and a faint blush on his cheeks.

 

“You’re the best,” he mumbled and looked at Simon with an expression that showed that he was considering something he wasn’t sure about.

 

“Can I lay my head on your shoulder?” He asked, unsure.

 

“You can do whatever you want, Jer, I’m not hiding anything anymore.”

 

A grin stretched itself across Jeremy’s face and Simon felt himself grin right back at him.

 

“I’m really glad,” Jeremy rested his head against his shoulder and melted into Simon’s body when he put one arm around him to pull him closer. “And I’m really proud of you.”

 

“Are you feeling better?”

 

“Yeah,” Jeremy murmured softly. “We’ll have to get to class soon.”

 

“Just a little bit more,” Simon tightened his grip on Jeremy. 

 

Jeremy chuckled and grabbed Simon’s hand, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Simon let out a happy sigh and looked at Jeremy with a fond look on his face, happiness and  _ love  _ coursing through his veins. He felt his body relax completely, he was with Jeremy outside and with people all around them, but he wasn’t scared at all. He was enjoying his time with his boyfriend like it should be.

 

Simon pressed a kiss against Jeremy’s hair and let himself enjoy the last moments before the bell rang and they had to leave their little bubble. 


	2. Chapter 2

Jeremy was taking his books from his locker when he was startled by two arms suddenly wrapping around him. He turned his head a little to look at the person who was hugging him and chuckled when he was met with Simon’s face. Since they had decided to be out in public together, Simon had been affectionate with him at the most random times, almost like he was trying to make up for the time they spent hiding.

 

“You can’t just startle me like that,” he said while sorting out through his books.

 

“Yes, I can,” Simon laughed and pressed a kiss against his shoulder.

 

Jeremy felt a shiver go down his spine, having Simon so close and kissing his shoulder in the middle of the school like it was nothing made him so happy, it was such a development on their relationship and on Simon himself and Jeremy couldn’t be more proud of him. 

 

“You’re so affectionate today,” he said, closing his locker and turning around to look at his boyfriend.

 

“What can I say? I have a cute boyfriend.”

 

Jeremy felt himself blush and shook his head at his boyfriend, he was flattered, more than flattered, receiving compliments from Simon made him feel so warm inside and it was just so nice to hear, but that didn’t mean that he appreciated blushing in the middle of the school hallway.

 

“Stop it,” he grumbled, knowing that there was a smile on his face despite the complaint.

 

“I’m not stopping,” Simon laughed, but his face turned serious right after. “Truth being told, this is kind of stressful.”

 

“What?” Jeremy asked softly, wanting nothing more than laughing, happy, relaxed Simon back.

 

“Being this affectionate with you,” he looked down and grabbed Jeremy’s hand. “I want to do all of this and more, but I’m constantly looking around and trying to read people’s faces. I’m scared of what everyone is thinking and I always think twice before touching you, I don’t want that.”

 

Jeremy gulped, not really knowing how to make Simon feel better. He squeezed his hand and caressed the back of it with his thumb.

 

“I’m so proud of you, Simon, to be able to be here, holding my hand, it means a lot to me and I’m so happy that you’re able to accept yourself and try to not let anyone take you down. You’re wonderful, Simon Saunders, and I am so lucky to call you my boyfriend.”

 

He wasn’t sure if those were the right words, if that was the right thing to say or if it would do anything to make Simon feel better, but he didn’t know what else to say, words weren’t his best friend. He must have said something right, though, because, right after he said those words, a little smile spread itself across Simon’s face and he took a step closer to Jeremy, wrapping his arms around him in a warm hug.

 

“If it weren’t for you, I would have never gotten enough courage to be myself. I would be living a lie, so, thank you, Jeremy, for bringing the truth to my life.”

 

Jeremy didn’t answer, he just held Simon closer and pressed a small kiss against his neck. He was so immensely happy and relieved and  _ proud _ and he wasn’t sure how to act. 

 

The bell rang then, interrupting their moment and Simon took a step back from the hug. He smiles softly at Jeremy and leans up to kiss his cheek before leaving for his class.

 

Jeremy feels his face get warm and a smile too big to control appear. Dating Simon really was everything and more.

 

“Jeremy,” Maashous punched his arm lightly, Jeremy wasn’t sure when he had appeared next to him. “Come on, stop looking like a lovesick fool, class is waiting,” he teased.

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes playfully but closed his locker and followed Maashous to the classroom where they would have their next class; Simon still in his thoughts, much like almost every other minute of the day.

 

***

 

Simon was waiting for Jeremy at the end of his last class. Jeremy wasn’t sure how he had gotten there so fast but he wasn’t about to complain when Simon was smiling at him like that, all soft eyes and happy face.

 

"Do you have to stop by your locker?" Simon asked him, hand grabbing his like it was the most natural thing to do, although there were little traces of tension in his body.

 

"No, I have everything I need for today."

 

"Then we can get going," Simon said, leading Jeremy through the school full of students.

 

Jeremy could see that Simon was still a little tense, he was always a little tense whenever they interacted like this in public, but they had agreed that if something was too much they would tell the other and stop, so he respected that Simon didn't tell him anything and that he was trying to come to terms with everything. However, that didn't mean that Jeremy didn't worry that Simon could be pushing himself a little bit too much, their conversation from earlier was still in his head.

 

"You want to grab some ice cream and sit in the park for a bit?" He suggested, wanting to talk to Simon about that and make sure that his boyfriend wasn’t doing anything he wasn’t ready for.

 

"Sure."

 

They got to Simon's car and got inside before Lilette and Robbie could tease them like the other day. Simon turned the radio on as soon as he put the key in the ignition and Jeremy felt his heart warm at the small, completely mundane, gesture. Simon always did that, he always turned the radio on as soon as he got inside the car, be it his own car or someone else's, it was like he couldn't possibly drive without music playing. It was something about Simon that Jeremy knew, something he had picked up on by spending some time with him and, because of that, the information, as small as it was, was precious to him.

 

They didn't talk through the whole car ride, they didn't need to, they were happy to just sing loudly every song that came on the radio. They were happy to laugh and let the music fill the car.

 

Once they got to the ice cream parlour, Jeremy had tears in his eyes from laughing at every funny face Simon pulled while singing and every obnoxious voice he made. He loved to spend time with Simon like this, so relaxed and peaceful. 

 

There weren't many people inside the small shop, so it didn't take long for both boys to have their ice cream in hand and be ready to go for a small walk before they had to say goodbye for the day and go home.

 

They left Simon's car in the parking lot of the parlour and crossed the street to the park. It was a warm day so there were some people walking around, with friends, family, pets or alone and Jeremy and Simon sat on one of the benches looking at the people passing by and trying to come up with ridiculous stories about why said people were in the park at that hour.

 

"Simon, can I ask you something?" Jeremy asks after a moment of silence once they stop laughing at the last stupid story Simon made up about a woman and her dog.

 

"Of course," Simon reaches for his hand and squeezes it, eyes focused on his face.

 

Jeremy frowns at their hands and glances around the park while trying to come up with the right words.

 

"Everything okay?" Simon frowned.

 

"I just- Do you ever think that you're pushing yourself a bit too much?"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"It's just- With us being together and being affectionate in public, we went from hiding to being, I don't know, out and proud so fast... I just worry that it's going too fast and you're pushing yourself too far."

 

Simon was looking at him with a soft look in his eyes and his warm hand was still on Jeremy's, the look he was giving Jeremy made him want to melt.

 

"Jeremy," Simon said, voice as soft as his eyes. "I love that you worry so much about me and my well being, but I assure you that I'm not doing anything I'm not comfortable with. I like to hug you, I like to hold your hand, I like to kiss you, I like you, Jeremy, a lot. And I'm not feeling pressured into doing anything." 

 

Simon lifted Jeremy's hand and brought it to his lips, kissing his knuckles.

 

"I'll admit that sometimes it's a little weird and there's still this annoying voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me to let go of you. But I will never listen to that voice because I love what we have and I'm so happy to be with you, to be, as you put it, out and proud. I'm not pushing myself," he assured again. “I promise.”

 

Jeremy smiled at him and squeezed his hand, leaning forward just a bit to press a chaste kiss against his lips.

 

"I'm glad, I wouldn't want you doing something you weren't ready for."

 

"I'm not," Simon whispered and kissed him again, more firmly this time.

 

Jeremy wasn't sure how long they kissed but, when they pulled back, Simon had stars in his eyes and a beautiful expression on his face and Jeremy never wanted to stop looking at him.

 

“I think I love you,” he couldn’t help but say, it was the truth though, the pure, naked truth.

 

Simon’s eyes widened and Jeremy heard his breath catch in his throat before a grin made its way onto his face.

 

“I’m pretty sure I love you, too,” Simon’s grin turned into a cheeky smirk. “But we’ll have time to figure all of that out, there is no rush,” he kissed Jeremy’s cheek. “Together.”   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of happy with how this turned out. I'm not entirely sure if I made the characters and their situation justice, but I hope so. I was kind of afraid that everything was going to seem too rushed so let me know if it felt like it moved too fast. 
> 
> Anyway, I'm a sucker for this two and fluff, so expect a small ending to this series sometime tomorrow! 
> 
> Thanks, everyone who commented, your comments and kudos make my day.


End file.
